Risk that may have gone wrong but turned out well

IELTS Cue Card/ Candidate Task Card 410 with Model Answer:

Describe a time when you took a risk that may have gone wrong but turned out well.

You should say:

• when it was
  
• what type of risk you took
• what could have gone wrong
  

and explain how it turned out well.

[You will have to talk about the topic for one to two minutes. You have one minute to think about what you are going to say. You can make some notes to help you if you wish.]

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Model Answer:

I have always been in the category of those people who always like to play safe. But, after talking with Jasper, my childhood friend and also an entrepreneur, I learned that playing safe wouldn’t take me far in life.

So, I decided to take some risk to try my luck about a few years ago when I wasn’t really enjoying my regular 9 am to 5 pm job. I guess I was just passing through a phase of my life when I wanted to become a bit more adventurous by setting aside the traditional thoughts and beliefs. So, when my childhood friend, Jasper, asked me how I was doing with my life, it was no surprise that my answer was “not too promising”.

By the way, to introduce Jasper a little, he moved to a European country after finishing his formal education, and it was there that he found a way to build his little business “empire” by setting up different kinds of businesses. He was doing well on all fronts, and so he thought that it was to expand his business empire even further.

So, when he heard that rather pessimistic answer from me, he proposed me to start a restaurant business with him in my country. He also told me at the same time that things could have always gone wrong as there were many other restaurants in that area. But, he told me that taking such initiative was worth the risk since it could also pay off big time. So, after considering the pros and cons of the initiative, I finally decided to invest my savings in opening up a restaurant business.

Anyway, to tell the truth, I am glad that I took the risk because it did turn well in the end. In fact, I noticed to my pleasant surprise that people did like the foods that our restaurant served. Besides, the relative success of my restaurant business actually provided me with an extra incentive to do much better in my regular job, which, I thought, wasn’t possible. Now, I jointly own two restaurants in my country with my friend Jasper.